Meatless Mondays: New Year. New You.

We’re continuing our New Year. New You. theme this month with some Meatless Monday recipes that pack a punch in the flavor department. Whether it’s Monday, or any other day of the week, try one of these yummy meatless recipes from our Wine Sisters!

Warm Cauliflower and Herbed Barley Salad from Natalie Wassum

This warm cauliflower salad from Bon Appetit is delicious for dinner and the best part is that there will be enough leftovers for lunch the next day. Serve this with a crisp glass of Pinot Grigio, like Wine Sisterhood Passionate Pinot Grigio.

Poached Eggs in Red Wine Sauce from Mary Ann Vangrin

I am a lover of poached eggs but sometimes my tried-and-true method fails me (boil salted water, reduce to simmer, make a whirlpool using a spoon, slip in egg). Sometimes they turn out great and sometimes they turn out a mess of stringy egg white weirdness.

Voila! A perfect poached egg every time! If you like to make poached eggs, these will change your life!

Poached Eggs in Red Wine Sauce

Here’s a classic Burgundian recipe inspired by Beef Bourguignon and based on a version by Marjorie Taylor from the Cook’s Atelier. Poached Eggs in Red Wine Sauce is great for Meatless Mondays (or breakfast for dinner). The sauce is also great over a big, juicy steak!

One large baguette sliced on the diagonal into 1 inch thick slices or your favorite rustic bread, toasted and buttered.

Technique:

1. In medium saucepan, combine wine with onion, carrot, thyme, parsley, bay leaf and garlic and bring to boil. Simmer over moderate heat until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Strain the wine through a sieve and return to saucepan. Discard vegetables and herbs.

2. In a small bowl, blend 4 tablespoons of the butter with flour to form a paste. Bring wine sauce to boil and whisk in flour paste. Simmer over moderate heat, whisking, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside, keeping warm. (Note: sauce can be made one day ahead and re-warmed. Add a few drops of water if it is too thick).

3. In large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderately high heat until tender and brown, about seven minutes. Transfer to large plate. Add bacon and cook over moderately high heat until browned but not crisp; about 3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon, drain on paper towel and add to plate with mushrooms.

Add blanched pearl onions to skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat until tender and golden, about five minutes. Transfer to plate and keep warm.

5. Arrange toasts on plates. Sprinkle eggs with salt and pepper and place on top of toast. Spoon red wine sauce over eggs. Scatter mushrooms, bacon and pearl onions around plate and garnish with parsley sprigs.

Wine Pairing: Pick up an extra bottle of the Pinot Noir you use for the sauce and serve with the dish. Remember, you always want to cook with a wine that’s good enough to drink with the meal!

Gluten free note: You can eliminate the flour for the roux (paste) in step 2. Simply reduce the wine over moderate heat a few minutes more until it thickens further to a sauce-like consistency. Then “mound” in the butter (whisk into reduced wine until smooth and glossy).

Hearty Winter Vegetable Burger from Chelsea Duran

Years ago, when I went “almost vegetarian” for a while, I picked up Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and it’s become one of my favorite go-to cookbooks. Once you learn the basics of putting together a vegetarian burger, you’ll discover that the ingredients you can incorporate are endless.

Veggie burgers are a fantastic way to clean up leftovers – from basic brown rice to an Asian stir fry. I’m a big fan of serving veggie burgers without buns, instead try serving them over a salad or sauteed vegetables. Bittman recommends serving these on a bed of braised and glazed brussels sprouts or your favorite winter greens.

Wine Pairing: Pick up a bottle of Deep Purple Zinfandel to use in this recipe, to sip while you’re cooking them up and save a glass for your meal.

Cayenne or hot red pepper flakes to taste (if you like a little spiciness)

All-purpose flour for binding

2 T Extra virgin olive oil or butter

Technique:

1. Combine the beets, dates, almonds and ginger in a food processor and pulse several times until everything is well chopped, but not quite a paste.

2. Put the mixture in a large bowl with the bulgur and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in boiling wine, mustard and cayenne if you’re using it and cover the bowl with a plate. let steep for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes if you can before shaping it into patties; if it seems too wet, stir in a little flour to help bind it. (You can make the burger mixture or even shape the burgers up to several hours in advance. Just cover tightly and refrigerate, then bring everything back to room temperature before cooking.

3. Shape the mixture into 4 to 6 patties. Put the oil or butter in a skillet with a lid over medium heat. When the oil is hot ro the butter is melted, carefully slip the burgers into the pan. Cook, undisturbed for 5 minutes or so, until nicely browned on the bottom; carefully flip the burger, cover and cook the other side for 5 minutes.

4. Serve with your favorite winter greens or on buns with the usual burger fixings.

Black-eyed Pea Soup from Angeles Winesett

This year, I was looking for a way to get my daughter to eat black eyed peas, kale and cornbread for our New Year’s Day dinner. She hasn’t embraced it as tradition yet, instead avoiding the meal every year. So this year, I made SOUP. She loves soup – especially when it has potatoes and kale.

To prepare poblano pepper: roast in toaster oven until charred black (or, cook over an open flame or place under broiler). Place in plastic ziplock back for 5 minutes. Using a wet paper towel, remove charred skin. Cut open, use knife to softly scrape out ribs & seeds. Dice & set aside.

Soup:

Clean potatoes (not necessary to peel), boil whole in 6 cups of water for 10 minutes, or until you can pierce through with a fork.

Remove potatoes from water (save water!), cut into large (1″) cubes with a knife, place back in water with black eyed peas, diced poblano, salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin.

Bring back to a boil, reduce to low heat. Drop kale into liquid (add more water if necessary), stir gently, cover & simmer for 5 minutes.

At this point, I break my potatoes up a little with a masher, but this is not necessary. I just like my soup to be thicker, more like stew.